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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27231877">Metamorphosis</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShawnaCanon/pseuds/ShawnaCanon'>ShawnaCanon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Baby Boom [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Butterfly Marc Anciel, Butterfly Miraculous, Gen, Miraculous Team, New Miraculous Holders, Post-Hawk Moth Defeat</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 21:41:34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,556</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27231877</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShawnaCanon/pseuds/ShawnaCanon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The new Butterfly Miraculous holder learns to use his special ability for the first time.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Marc Anciel &amp; Nooroo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Baby Boom [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1982216</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>154</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Metamorphosis</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Thanks to TheBlackChatsPrincess for the fic suggestion of a new Miraculous user learning to use their power.</p><p>Context note (you can skip this if you’ve read “Baby Boom”): This is a sequel ficlet to my long fic “Baby Boom”. If you haven’t read it, the context is that Hawk Moth surrendered (in a way that means none of the current heroes found out his identity, though some of the kwamis know and have agreed to keep it secret), and instead of the Miraculouses all going back in the box, Ladybug gave them all to her friends to form a reserve superhero team, in case super-threats ever target Paris again. Marc got the Butterfly Miraculous, and Nathaniel got the Rooster Miraculous. This is set in an AU after season 3 (the season 3 finale didn’t happen in this timeline), so the characters are all 15/16.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Monarc flew through the sky on iridescent wings, the wind whipping his hair, the rush of adrenaline unabated despite the fact that he’d been in the air for several minutes already. As thrilling as flying was, it was almost too much stimulation for his introvert brain to handle, and part of him was still terrified that his wings would go limp and return to their cape-like fluidity before his feet had touched the ground.</p><p>Pausing to tread air, hovering lightly as his butterfly wings gently flapped back and forth, he watched his best friend do another loop and then descend toward their destination, the red and orange feathers of his wings shining brightly in the sun. Cockerel had taken to flying a lot more naturally than Monarc had, despite having all the same potential issues. Monarc was sure all he needed was more practice and his lingering fears about flying would go away.</p><p>The fears of his other powers, though, he was not so sure about.</p><p>“Come on!” Cockerel shouted over his shoulder when he saw that Monarc was dawdling.</p><p>Monarc smacked his own face with both hands, trying to psych himself up, and followed Cockerel down. They landed on the roof of a warehouse on the outskirts of Paris. It was in a relatively secluded area, and though the building looked abandoned, it didn’t appear to be in danger of falling down. As soon as the two heroes touched down, Monarc’s wings lost their stiffness, draping loosely down his back, and Cockerel’s wings flattened against his suit, becoming a two-dimensional pattern that covered his back from shoulders to calves.</p><p>“You ready for this?” Cockerel asked, putting a hand on Monarc’s shoulder.</p><p>“No,” Monarc answered honestly.</p><p>Cockerel squeezed Monarc’s shoulder before releasing him, and the two of them walked toward the stairwell door, which had been left propped open.</p><p>It was dark inside, but enough light came through the open doorway for them to make their way down to the next floor and through another door. They entered into a room that was only ten feet high but had no walls, only support beams, so it stretched across the whole length and width of the warehouse. There were no lights on in here either, but there were enough windows high on the walls that the room was bathed in diffuse sunlight. The inside of the room was made of rough wood, and they found nothing in it except for a single chair and two other people.</p><p>“Monarc, Cockerel, you’re here!” said a bright voice. “Right on time!” Cat Noir was perched on the chair, his hands gripping the front edge of the seat and his feet bracketing them. He raised one hand in an enthusiastic wave, which made the chair wobble and nearly toppled him over before he got his balance again.</p><p>Standing beside him, Ladybug’s expression was much more serious. “You two weren’t followed?”</p><p>“Um, no?” Monarc answered. He had no idea how to tell for sure if he was being followed, but they’d been pretty high in the air and moving fast, so it seemed unlikely.</p><p>She nodded. “All right. Everyone detransform for a minute.”</p><p>They did so. Their kwamis stayed close instead of running off together like they often did. Nooroo perched on Marc’s shoulder, so close to his neck that he could feel the tickle of Nooroo’s wings . . . and the slight tremble in the kwami’s tiny body.</p><p>“Do . . . we have to do this today?” Marc asked.</p><p>Marinette looked at them both sympathetically. “You’re the last ones. I know, Ondine had a hard time, too.”</p><p>“That’s different,” Marc murmured. Mayura hadn’t done nearly the damage that Hawk Moth had, and her power hadn’t been so personal.</p><p>“We don’t expect you to ever have to use your power,” Adrien told him, sitting more normally in the chair now, “but if you ever do have to use it, don’t you want to know how to?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Marc admitted. He sucked in a deep breath and straightened his spine. This was part of his duty now. Marinette—the whole team—was counting on him. “Okay.”</p><p>Nathaniel stood off to the side, leaning against one of the support beams, silently watching.</p><p>Marinette took a few steps closer. “Nooroo, have you explained anything to Marc about his power?”</p><p>“N-no, Marinette,” Nooroo said, lifting into the air to hover between them.</p><p>“Don’t I already know everything?” asked Marc. “Don’t we all?”</p><p>Marinette shook her head. “I don’t think so. Hawk Moth used the Miraculous in a way it wasn’t meant to be used. I doubt it works the same way when it’s used correctly.”</p><p>“That’s right,” said Nooroo. The little guy was doing his best to fight past his fear. Marc was proud of him. “Hawk Moth preyed on people who had already partially lost control to their negative emotions. It was how he was able to control them. But it wasn’t necessary for someone to be experiencing a negative emotion in order to be akumatized. If the person was willing to work with him, he could akumatize them when they were calm and rational. Catalyst was akumatized in that way.”</p><p>A crease formed between Marinette’s eyebrows. “Catalyst?”</p><p>Nooroo fidgeted, his eyes darting to Marc for guidance, but Marc didn’t know what to tell him, since he didn’t know what the kwami was thinking. “She was the same person who used the Peacock Miraculous to become Mayura,” Nooroo said carefully. “Hawk Moth akumatized her into Catalyst in order to turn himself into Scarlet Moth.”</p><p>“Whoa,” Adrien breathed. “He could use his power to turn someone else into a villain who could give him more power? That’s crazy! It explains some things, though.”</p><p>Nooroo continued. “And Hawk Moth was even able to akumatize himself once, by creating an akuma, renouncing me, and then accepting the akuma.”</p><p>“That’s so much power,” Nathaniel said in quiet awe.</p><p>Marinette’s frown deepened. “Hawk Moth akumatized himself? One of the people we thought we were saving was actually Hawk Moth?” Her voice was sharper than she probably realized.</p><p>Nooroo flinched away from her. “Y-yes.”</p><p>“Who?” Adrien asked, leaning forward in his seat.</p><p>“I—I can’t say.” Nooroo cringed away from them, toward Marc. “I want to tell, but I promised not to, and I—I . . . ”</p><p>Marc scooped Nooroo gently into his cupped hands. The kwami pressed against his palms, peeking over Marc’s fingers at Marinette and Adrien. “Guys,” said Marc, “don’t make him talk about that.” The next instant, Marc realized he’d just given Ladybug an order. “Um . . . please.”</p><p>Adrien got up and came closer, his footsteps soft. “Sorry, Nooroo. I shouldn’t have asked.” He put his arm around Marinette, and her intensity waned a bit.</p><p>Nooroo floated back into the air.</p><p>“So if people are willing to work with you,” Marinette said, moving on, “then their emotions don’t matter.”</p><p>“I can sense them, though,” Marc said.</p><p>Everyone raised their eyebrows at that.</p><p>Marc shrunk away a little, instinctively afraid that he’d said something wrong or done something weird, even though he knew he hadn’t. It was just that the others apparently didn’t know about this part of the Butterfly Miraculous’s power. “I . . . can tell what people are feeling. Not all the time. Only when it’s a strong emotion. Happiness or anger or . . . whatever.”</p><p>“It helps us figure out who we could use,” explained Nooroo. “It’s meant to be a guide, to help find those who need our help or who would have the will to join us in a fight. Hawk Moth used it to find victims.”</p><p>Marinette’s frown grew into a scowl, and Marc could feel the anger rolling off of her. Not at any of them, but at Hawk Moth. He still winced a little, and maybe Marinette realized what was happening, because she made a visible effort to calm down, and the sense of anger that Marc felt from her abated.</p><p>“Okay,” said Marinette, “so emotions are a guide but not a requirement. As long as the person agrees to work with you for whatever reason, your power can work. But I have another question.” She went back to the chair and retrieved a jar from underneath it. When she came back, Marc saw that the jar contained a small, blue butterfly. A jolt of apprehension shot through him, but he fought it. Marinette held up the jar. “I wasn’t sure if we needed one of these for this to work.”</p><p>Nooroo sighed, his head drooping. “At first, I tried to fight Hawk Moth, to refuse to allow him to create akumas. It didn’t take him long to get around my efforts by infusing actual butterflies with the power, turning them into akumas. But no, they are not required.”</p><p>Marinette smiled, open the jar, and released the butterfly. “That’s a relief. If Marc won’t need actual butterflies to create akumas—”</p><p>“<em>No</em>.” The word was out of Marc’s mouth as quick as compulsion. When the others looked at him strangely, he said, “Can we not call it that? I looked it up, and ‘akuma’ basically means ‘devil’. Which fit for Hawk Moth, but . . . ”</p><p>With a small laugh, Marinette shook her head fondly. “Leave it to a writer to care about stuff like that. All right. We’ll come up with something else to call it. Are you ready to give it a try?”</p><p>Marc nodded, though he still felt far from ready.</p><p>“The command is ‘Champion’,” Nooroo told him. “Hawk Moth was able to use his power non-verbally, as most adult Miraculous owners can, but since you’re a teen, you’ll have to say it out loud. And once you create it, you’ll only have five minutes until you detransform.”</p><p>Marc nodded, then said, “Nooroo, wings rise.” The transformation magic swept over him.</p><p>Nathaniel transformed, too, but stayed off to the side. In case something went wrong.</p><p>To Monarc’s surprise, Adrien slipped his Miraculous off his finger and handed it to Marinette, taking Plagg with it.</p><p>“Are you sure?” Marinette asked Adrien very quietly, but not so quietly that Monarc didn’t hear her.</p><p>Adrien smiled at her. “Of course, Bugaboo. Everything will be fine.”</p><p>“Why did he take off his Miraculous?” Marc asked.</p><p>Marinette slipped the ring into her pocket. “Only a precaution. We don’t expect anything to go wrong, but if it does, it’s probably safer this way.”</p><p>Monarc felt the blood rush out of his face. “You mean if I accidentally turn him into a supervillain.”</p><p>“That’s not going to happen,” Cockerel said firmly.</p><p>“Of course not,” said Marinette. “But . . . yes.”</p><p>Monarc’s hands started shaking. “Maybe we shouldn’t do this. Maybe I shouldn’t ever use my power. I don’t <em>have</em> to. There’s plenty I can still do—”</p><p>Marinette grabbed his shoulders. “Marc, you can do this. Just because we’re taking precautions for a worst case scenario doesn’t mean we don’t believe in you. If I didn’t believe you could do this, trust me, I wouldn’t let you even think of trying to aku—use your power on Adrien.” Her blue eyes burned with sincerity, and Monarc had the feeling there was something she wasn’t telling him, because despite the certainty in her expression, he could sense a deep underlying dread from her.</p><p>“It doesn’t have to be Adrien,” Monarc said softly.</p><p>“Everyone else on the team has been akumatized in the past,” she said, “except Adrien and me. So it makes the most sense for it to be one of us, because we don’t have any past trauma about it that might get triggered. And Adrien insists on it being him so I can help talk you through it.”</p><p>Monarc almost asked what had her so scared, but he knew that just because he could sense emotions now didn’t give him the right to understand them if the other person didn’t want him to. “All right.”</p><p>She stood back and transformed into Ladybug. “Whenever you’re ready.”</p><p>And then they waited, three pairs of eyes on Monarc, watching him with patient expectation.</p><p>He took a deep breath. <em>I can do this. I can do this.</em> He wasn’t sure what to do with his hands, since he wasn’t sure whether or not the power would end up focused there like it was for some of the heroes, so he kept them at his sides. “Champion.” He felt a tingling in his hand and raised it in time to see a bright purple light form around his hand, then break away. A small ball of light floated into the air, the four tips of a butterfly’s wings protruding from the light. It was dainty and beautiful, not like an akuma at all, really. It actually reminded him a lot more of something he’d seen in a <em>Zelda</em> game.</p><p>He laughed, surprised at the lightness of his own voice. “It looks like a fairy.”</p><p>Ladybug smiled, admiring the shining thing he’d conjured with his power. “Then let’s call it that.”</p><p>The fairy fluttered in the air, and Monarc realized it was waiting for his command. With a focus of his will, he sent the fairy toward Adrien, who was once again sitting in the chair.</p><p>Adrien watched with wide eyes as the fairy approached, but Monarc sensed no fear from him. As if trying to help, Adrien held up the necklace he was wearing. It was a simple pendant on a silver chain, probably worn just for this purpose. The fairy fluttered closer, touched the pendant, and immediately melted into it, turning the whole necklace a glowing purple.</p><p>The sudden connection to Adrien’s mind made Monarc gasp. He knew that Adrien felt it, too, because the other boy had a similar reaction, their wide eyes meeting across the room. There was an outline of a butterfly in front of Adrien’s face—a lighter purple and a different shape than the ones that Hawk Moth’s communications with his victims had created. In his peripheral vision, Monarc could see that the same outline was over his own face, a visible signal of their connection.</p><p>Testing, Monarc thought in his mind, <em>Adrien? Can you hear me?</em></p><p>There was no answer.</p><p><em>Not a telepathic link, then.</em> Monarc looked around him, checking on Ladybug and Cockerel. They were both watching him warily, completely on alert as their attention shifted between Monarc and Adrien.</p><p>“Adrien?” Monarc said aloud.</p><p>“I’m with you, Monarc,” Adrien said. He didn’t sound mind-controlled or zombified at all, which was good. “I can hear you. It’s like you’re right next to me <em>and</em> right in front of me.”</p><p>Monarc nodded. He didn’t like to think about the time that he’d been akumatized, but he remembered it being like that. Like Hawk Moth’s voice had been coming out of headphones Marc hadn’t been wearing. “Will you let me give you power?” Monarc asked. He felt so uncomfortable. Everyone was looking at him, and even though he was trying to say things in the least cringey way he could, his skin still crawled.</p><p>Adrien nodded. “I will, Monarc.”</p><p>As if a floodgate opened in their connection, Monarc felt Adrien open to him, and something moved from Monarc to Adrien. Monarc focused on the transformation he wanted to make happen. A light purple wave like rippling water flowed over Adrien as he stood up from his chair.</p><p>Ladybug gasped but held her ground. Cockerel stiffened. Everyone watched Adrien.</p><p>The transformation completed, and Adrien—No. Monarc felt compelled to give his champion a name. He wasn’t a teammate right now. He wasn’t an equal. He was a subject, an extension of Monarc’s own power, and he would last as a superhero for only as long as Monarc’s power did.</p><p>Archangel stood there in a golden, skin-tight suit with a flaming sword in his hand. His eyes looked like fire, too, and there were four white bird wings on his back.</p><p>“I . . . may have gone a little too far in trying to make him not a supervillain,” Monarc said, flushing with embarrassment.</p><p>Ladybug looked absolutely dazzled by what her fiancé had turned into.</p><p>“Whoa . . . ” Cockerel said in an awed whisper.</p><p>Archangel looked down at his hands, at his sword, and his face lit up with a huge grin, which was quite the effect, considering how lit-up his face already was. “This is awesome!” And somehow, he knew without even asking what he could do, because he flapped the four wings and rose into the air. He couldn’t go far, with the ceiling and all, but he hovered a bit before landing. “Super strength and speed,” he said, flexing his open hand. He looked at Monarc, and the fiery eyes made him incredibly intimidating. “Right?”</p><p>Monarc nodded. “There should be one other thing.”</p><p>“Oh, right!” Archangel said. He stretched out his hand, and for a moment, nothing happened. Then a small owl flew in from one of the open windows and perched on his arm. As soon as it made contact with him, the owl began singing the theme song to <em>The Flintstones</em>.”</p><p>“Adrien—” Ladybug started.</p><p>“Archangel,” her fiancé corrected, then frowned. “How did I know that?”</p><p>“We have some kind of mental link,” Monarc said.</p><p>Archangel frowned like he was trying to feel Monarc in his head.</p><p>“Okay. Archangel. Whatever,” Ladybug said impatiently. “Can someone explain the singing owl?”</p><p>Monarc grinned sheepishly. “I can’t just . . . ” He stopped, realizing he didn’t have a word for what he wanted to say.</p><p>Cockerel apparently understood his hesitation. “If it’s a fairy, we can’t say ‘akumatize’ anymore.”</p><p>Monarc nodded. “I’m not taking control of people. I’m giving them power. So let’s just call it what it is. I’m empowering them.”</p><p>“Okay . . . ” Ladybug said, beginning to sound impatient.</p><p>“Right,” said Monarc. “So, I can’t just empower someone for no reason. There has to be a goal that we can agree on. The goal here is to figure out if I can use my special ability to give someone whatever superpowers I wanted. So, to that end, I had to give him a really random power and see if it worked.”</p><p>Ladybug raised a dubious eyebrow at Archangel, who was laughing at the owl on his arm. “So . . . summoning random owls and making them sing?”</p><p>“Yep.” Monarc’s Miraculous beeped. He couldn’t see it since it was on his chest, but from having seen it in the mirror before, he knew that one by one, the wings of his Butterfly brooch would turn black before lastly the middle ‘body’ part turned black as well. That was when he would lose his transformation.</p><p>“Ad—Archangel,” Ladybug said. “Focus. Yes, the owl is cute, but I need you to answer some questions.”</p><p>While she did that, Monarc focused inward, trying to feel for his connection to his champion. It wasn’t as strong as he’d expected. He couldn’t hear Adrien’s thoughts, but if he tried, he could see through Archangel’s eyes.</p><p>When his vision changed perspective suddenly, he saw Ladybug in front of him. She gasped, then snapped her head back behind her—where he was. It was extremely weird to see through someone else’s eyes when he was in the room with them. Archangel looked up, following Ladybug’s line of sight, and Monarc saw <em>himself</em> standing there across the room, a purple butterfly outline over his face just like it was now over Archangel’s.</p><p>A wave of dizziness hit, and Monarc broke the connection. Not the whole thing, just the direct one where he could use his champion as a second pair of eyes. “That was disorienting,” he said, blinking to try to clear his head.</p><p>“Wait, did you just look through my eyes?” Archangel asked. “I didn’t even feel anything! Can you talk through my mouth, too?”</p><p>Monarc recoiled at the thought. “No! I—I don’t think so. I’d have to take over your will to do that.” He wasn’t sure how he knew that, but he was certain of it. Being a passive observer in his champion’s head was one thing, but doing anything to take direct control of their actions was over the line.</p><p>Archangel nodded. “Right. I wouldn’t want that.”</p><p>Ladybug frowned at the two of them. “While we still have time, let’s test your communication. Monarc, go over to the far wall, where it’s too far to hear us, and try to talk to Ad—to Archangel.”</p><p>Monarc obeyed, going as far away from them as he could get in the expansive room. Then he focused on his connection with his champion and said in a normal voice, “Archangel, can you hear me?”</p><p>Immediately, Archangel said, “Loud and clear.”</p><p>Ladybug asked, “Can you hear me, Monarc?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“He says yes,” Archangel repeated.</p><p>“Come on back,” Ladybug said.</p><p>Monarc cut off the communication and returned to the group.</p><p>“One last thing,” Ladybug said. “See if you can call the a—the fairy back.”</p><p>Monarc didn’t know how exactly it worked, but all he had to do was will the fairy out of his champion, and it came out, transforming Archangel back into Adrien. The small owl hooted in surprise and flew away.</p><p>“Aww,” Adrien said, watching it go. “Owlfred.”</p><p>Ladybug smacked her forehead. “Tell me you did not name the owl.”</p><p>“He counts as a pet, even if I only had him a few minutes.”</p><p>Monarc’s Miraculous beeped, and his transformation fell. Nooroo popped out into the air, and Marc caught him. The kwami looked tired, but he was smiling. “Good job, Marc. You did very well.”</p><p>“I did?” he asked, patting his pockets for a snack. He found a cracker and gave it to Nooroo.</p><p>“Can you remember everything, Adrien?” Cockerel asked.</p><p>“Yes, completely,” Adrien answered.</p><p>Munching his cracker, Nooroo explained. “The amnesia only happens when a person’s will is taken over by force. When they agree without compulsion or having their will weakened by negative emotions, they remember everything.”</p><p>Marc was filing that away for later pondering when a sudden, sharp wave of panic and terror doubled him over. He gripped at his shirt, where the Miraculous was pinned, but that didn’t do anything to stop the overwhelming emotions he was feeling. His friends called out to him in worry, but Marc didn’t have time to respond to them.</p><p>“Nooroo, wings rise!” he shouted. The moment he was fully transformed, he opened his hand and said, “Champion!” Purple magic coalesced in his hand, and he thrust his arm up as if that would help propel the fairy even faster. It didn’t really work out that way, but as soon as the magic had formed into a fairy, it obeyed his orders to fly straight to whoever was in such dire need, out the window and into the city. The fairy could fly really fast when he wanted it to, and in seconds, he felt a connection with a human mind.</p><p>What had only been fear and panic suddenly gained context, and he understood the situation. A boy had fallen into the Seine. He couldn’t swim. He was drowning. It took Monarc an instant to realize that the extra spike of fear he felt had probably come from the boy seeing the fairy and having it connect with him.</p><p>“Don’t be afraid,” Monarc said, eyes shut tight to focus, ignoring the sounds he heard from his friends around him. “I’m not Hawk Moth. I’m Monarc. Have you heard of me?”</p><p>There was no answer. Of course there was no answer. If the boy was drowning, he would hardly be able to speak. But Monarc felt a very slight lessening of the boy’s fear.</p><p>“I want to help you,” Monarc continued, “but there isn’t much time. You’re drowning. I can give you the power to save yourself. I want nothing in return. Do you agree?”</p><p>Once again, he didn’t hear a verbal response, but the mental floodgate between his mind and the boy’s opened, which must have meant he’d agreed. Instantly, Monarc knew what was needed, and he sent power into the boy, transforming him. Strength, speed, stamina, hands and feet turned into flippers, and—most importantly—the ability to breath underwater.</p><p>The boy’s transformation completed, and Monarc was able to make the stronger connection to see through the boy’s eyes. He was so far underwater, there was barely enough light to see. <em>I should have improved his vision</em>, Monarc thought with regret, but it was too late to change it now. “Swim, Nemo,” Monarc commanded. “Swim for your life! I can only give you this power for a few minutes!”</p><p>Nemo swam, flipper-hands scrambling in front of him, fish and small debris racing past. As Monarc watched through his champion’s eyes, the boy reached the surface, found the riverbank, and hauled himself up. Nemo collapsed to his knees, panting, and looked up to see people on the street staring at him in surprise and fear, phones out and pointed at him.</p><p>Monarc sagged with relief. “Good job, Nemo.”</p><p>“Thank you,” the boy said. He was crying. Monarc could hear it in his voice. “Thank you, Monarc. Thank you!”</p><p>“You’re welcome,” Monarc said, then he broke the connection and recalled the fairy before anyone had time to get too afraid of the kid. He took several deep breaths himself, adrenaline draining suddenly out of him. When he looked up, the room was missing a couple occupants.</p><p>“Where are Marinette and Adrien?” he asked.</p><p>Cockerel came over to him. “They took off as soon as you sent out that fairy. Someone was drowning?”</p><p>Monarc nodded. “A kid. I felt his panic. I—I just acted without thinking.”</p><p>“To save him.” Cockerel’s smile was huge. He patted Monarc on the back. “That’s what a hero does.”</p><p>Monarc didn’t know how to respond to that, so he just said, “Wings fall,” and looked for something to feed Nooroo.</p><p>He was startled when his kwami, tired as he surely was, glomped onto his face. “Marc, that was amazing! Thank you! Thank you, thank you!”</p><p>Confused, Marc gently pried Nooroo off and looked at him. “For what?”</p><p>“For using my power to help someone!” Nooroo cried, his huge eyes moist with tears. “It has been so long!”</p><p>Marc’s heart broke a little at that, but he gave Nooroo a small smile and fished out another cracker. “Of course, Nooroo. I didn’t do anything, though. Not really. All that power came from you.”</p><p>“But it was your decisions that mattered!” Nooroo protested.</p><p>Cockerel chuckled at both of them, detransformed, and pulled out his phone. After a moment, Nathaniel held it out with the screen facing Marc. There were already photos and videos on the Ladyblog. Ladybug and Cat Noir were comforting the boy and reassuring the crowd, but they were all talking about how Monarc had saved the boy. Somehow, Alya was already there, asking the kid for an interview.</p><p>Marc’s phone dinged, and he looked at it to see it quickly filling up with congratulatory texts from his teammates. His face heated, embarrassed at the praise.</p><p>“I really did okay?” he asked Nathaniel.</p><p>“You did amazing,” his best friend told him. “I think this’ll really help put to rest any lingering fears anyone had about you. And assure them that the threat of Hawk Moth really is gone for good.”</p><p>Marc allowed himself a small smile. He hadn’t messed up. Acting rashly hadn’t been a mistake. He’d actually done something . . . heroic. “Well,” he said as Nooroo happily hugged his neck, “that’s good, then.”</p>
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